Kingston LoVo HyperX: Memory with Low Power Consumption

Kingston introduced unique overclocker dual-channel DDR3 SDRAM kits working at 1.25 V and 1.35 V voltage. We couldn’t help checking out how beneficial memory like that could be in energy-efficient and overclocker platforms.

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Despite the continuous aggressive progress in the field of computer technologies, there is no hope that anything principally new will appear in the DRAM market any time soon. As for the upcoming DDR4 SDRAM, it should start entering the market no sooner than in 2012. Moreover, I have to say, that you shouldn’t expect DDR4 SDRAM to be something dramatically different: it will be just another logical step along the long established route: frequencies will increase, capacities will grow bigger, power consumption will go down.

Does it mean that DDR3 SDRAM market has reached a stagnation period in its existence? No, it doesn’t because we see that all the main chip makers work real hard on improving the specifications of the DDR3 products. They introduce new manufacturing techniques, start using new materials. And the results of these innovations are clearly displayed on the store shelves: DDR3-1600 SDRAM has become a mainstream product, while enthusiasts are offered high-speed products like DDR3-2400 SDRAM.

On the other side of this front we also see significant progress. DDR3L SDRAM standard that described DDR3 memory with lower power consumption levels is no longer just a declaration, but a spec of existing products. Solutions like that offering 1.25-1.35 V power consumption instead of the traditional 1.5-1.65 V are primarily interesting for the server community, but nevertheless, they also started appearing in the mainstream market.

Therefore, we decided to take a closer look at this low-voltage DDR3 memory that is why we tested new DIMMs from Kingston that belong to HyperX LoVo series.

Due to lower nominal voltage they consume less power, which should make them a good option for high-performance energy-efficient platforms, according to the manufacturer.